BTW: The farm recently played host to a dinner where Per Se restaurant presented a farm-to-table presentation at $500 a head. All ingredients were grown for Chef Corey Chow's four-course tasting menu in the Richmond County Savings Bank Foundation Tuscan Garden. Wines were paired by Per Se's head sommelier Michel Couvreux, and the evening began with a tour of the farm with a glass of champagne in hand.

Proceeds from the event will now benefit Heritage Farm's efforts at the borough's culture hub. Check out the slideshow above for a glimpse of the gourmand good times.

HOW TO PUT VEGGIES TO GOOD USE: Since you likely already have zucchini, peppers and cucumber growing in your garden, Jonathan Waxman's salad dressing might be a nice way to work off the bounty. When tomato plants deliver, there's a tomato soup from the creative mind of David Chang. And Didem Senol's zucchini fritters can pair well with it all alongside a refreshing cucumber-yogurt sauce.

And for those gifts of nature, here are three recipes with which to play on the colors and tastes of the season. They hail from new cookbook Dinner Special by the Editors of FOOD & WINE (Oxmoore House, 2018).

JONATHAN LOVEKIN

RECIPE: AVOCADO-AND-SHRIMP SALAD WITH RED GODDESS DRESSING

(Makes 4 to 6 servings)

INGREDIENTS

1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. minced jalapeno

3 Tbsp. plain yogurt

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

1 head of lettuce, torn into large pieces

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

1 tsp. fresh lime juice

2 Hass avocados, cut into wedges

1 lb. cooked shrimp

DIRECTIONS:

In a blender, combine the roasted pepper, shallot, garlic, jalapeno, yogurt, vinegar and lemon juice and puree until smooth. Scrape the puree into a medium bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt.

In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the cilantro leaves, lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Arrange the dressed lettuce, avocado wedges and shrimp on plates and drizzle with some of the dressing. Serve the remaining Red Goddess dressing on the side.

--Jonathan Waxman

Zukes from a Staten Island garden. Staten Island Advance File Photo

RECIPE: HERBED ZUCCHINI-FETA FRITTERS

(Serves 4 to 6)

INGREDIENTS:

4 medium zucchini (about 13/4 lbs.), coarsely shredded

1 Tbsp. kosher salt plus more for seasoning

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup chopped dill

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. chopped mint

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more for seasoning

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded and coarsely chopped

1 cup Greek-style plain yogurt

Vegetable oil, for frying

DIRECTIONS:

Pile the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of salt. Toss the zucchini well and let stand for 5 minutes. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible and transfer the zucchini to a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, flour, dill, parsley, 1/4 cup of the mint and the feta. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of pepper and refrigerate the fritter batter for about 10 minutes.

In a food processor, coarsely puree the chopped cucumber. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the yogurt and the remaining 2 tablespoons of mint and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 350deg. In a medium saucepan, heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Set a paper towel-covered baking sheet near the stove. Working in batches, drop rounded tablespoons of fritter batter into hot oil and fry, turning the fritters a few times, until browned and crisp, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer fritters to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining fritter batter. Discard the paper towels and reheat the fritters in the oven for about 3 minutes. Serve the zucchini fritters hot with the cucumber-yogurt sauce.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 6 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion, olives and oregano and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in both vinegars. Season with salt. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, toss the cucumber with 1/2 tablespoon of the honey and season with salt.

In a blender, puree the chopped tomatoes with the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of honey and season generously with salt and pepper.

Pour the soup into shallow bowls. Top with the onion-olive mixture, cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices and feta. Drizzle with olive oil, garnish with baby greens and serve.

--David Chang

-- Each recipe has been excerpted from Dinner Special by the Editors of FOOD & WINE. Copyright (c) 2018 Oxmoor House. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Meredith Corporation. New York, NY. All rights reserved.